Imperial clipper as bounty hunter ship.

[Revein]

I am running an A-grade cobra with fixed beams and two gimbal multi-cannons. When i need to rearm my multicannons i have earned 1-1.5 million from a res site.

I am aiming for the imperial clipper but was abit scared when i did read about it:
The hardpoints of that ship is so wide apart it cannot use fixed weapons perfectly. Two fixed beams on the closest mounts will go wide of an cobra when u are closer to 1km from it. So u are forced to use all gimal weapons on it....

Anyone have other opinions about the clipper as a effective bounty hunter ship? My plan is 2 fixed beams and 2 gimal multicannons on it, is that viable?

 

[Poseidal]

If you are fighting NPCs, all gimbal is fine.

There are no class 3 multi-cannons to go on the widest hardpoints, so those have to be beams. I found the class 2 slots too close to run fixed though (Rails) for my taste so currently running all gimbals.

It's pretty much the only issue I have with it. If it ran the class 2s closer together, I would run the railguns as it turns well enough to be a good platform for them otherwise.

 

[Bertak]

I am running an A-grade cobra with fixed beams and two gimbal multi-cannons. When i need to rearm my multicannons i have earned 1-1.5 million from a res site.

I am aiming for the imperial clipper but was abit scared when i did read about it:
The hardpoints of that ship is so wide apart it cannot use fixed weapons perfectly. Two fixed beams on the closest mounts will go wide of an cobra when u are closer to 1km from it. So u are forced to use all gimal weapons on it....

Anyone have other opinions about the clipper as a effective bounty hunter ship? My plan is 2 fixed beams and 2 gimal multicannons on it, is that viable?

You can put beam turrets on it and every cmdr pirate will curse you because there is no counter to them currently. If you plan on going after cmdr's the clipper isn't the ideal ship but for pve it is fine even with gimbal weapons. Clipper makes a better pirate ship than a bounty hunter IMO

 

[Derpster Frey]

Already answered multiple times, the Clipper is a great ship for NPC bounty hunting.
But then again, most ships can do NPC bounty hunting just fine

 

[Khaelmin]

The Clipper is very good for bounty hunting, both in RES and assassination missions, if you know it's limitations and how to work around them.

Drawbacks:
- Hardpoint placement: Only use gimballed weapons, as fixed are almost impossible to use properly. There is actually a very limited angle into which you can fire all four weapons at a forward target. It's a vertical line, beginning around half a centimeter below your crosshairs and ending about one centimeter from the bottom edge of your windshield.
- Maneuverability: This isn't a nimble ship by any stretch. I worked around this by strapping Pulse laser turrets on the medium hardpoints, located on the belly of the ship. When engaged in a dog fight, I always do nose down turns to bring the enemy into my crosshairs. This ensures that the ship's belly is always facing the enemy, keeping him under constant fire from the turrets. I then finish them off with the large lasers.
- Modest shields: The shields are actually weaker than the Vulture's, so invest in a 7B shield generator as soon as possible. Also, strap four A0 shield boosters and a good shield cell bank on.

Pros:
- Speed: This is one of the fastest ships I've seen, always a plus in a RES. You waste less time chasing after ships that are often 7-8 kilometers away.
- Ample power supply: You can pretty much fire two large and two medium lasers forever, with A grade everything equipped. For the Vulture, you have to make some tough decisions about what to sacrifice in favor of shields and weapons.
- Decent jump range and fuel tank size.
- Cargo space: Even with a size 7 shield generator, size 4 shield cell bank and size 4 fuel scoop equipped, I still have 88 tons of cargo space left.
- Style! This ship's exterior and cockpit are simply the most beautiful I've seen so far.

 

[Monk]

When it comes to hunting NPCs in my clipper, almost any loadout works pretty well.

Currently, I've got two class 3 gimbal pulses on top...on the bottom I'm using a turreted multi cannon and a missile launcher. Most of the time, the two lasers do the work. The MC turret keeps pelting them while I'm turning and the missile launcher is just for fun making unshielded sideys and eagles go pop.

For a more focused hunting (going after bigger ships), I put two class 2 gimbal cannons on the bottom. These can knock out an anaconda power plant without too much thought if your timing is good. Which is important in a clipper because you are one big easy target in it.

Honestly though, I've been dropping back to my Cobra for bounty hunting. This is mostly because I like to pick up several missions while I move between RESs and Nav beacons and the Clipper's Large pad requirement hampers that activity.

If I want to do exclusive bounty hunting, then I'll bring out the Vulture.

 

[Morbad]

You can put beam turrets on it and every cmdr pirate will curse you because there is no counter to them currently.

Forcing them to fire outside their optimal range is a counter. They are too hot to run indefinitely and intermittent fire from them can drain WEP pretty fast. Even if you can't stay outside optimal range (and it's often hard to do this against a Clipper) just making sure you are prepared to absorb the hits as you lay into the Clipper with less energy intensive weapons will usually work.

- Hardpoint placement: Only use gimballed weapons, as fixed are almost impossible to use properly. There is actually a very limited angle into which you can fire all four weapons at a forward target. It's a vertical line, beginning around half a centimeter below your crosshairs and ending about one centimeter from the bottom edge of your windshield.

I always mount at least one fixed weapon, sometimes two, and use gimbals (or turrets) on the rest.